WHO Global Health Observatory & Other 'Open Data' Resources

Interested in learning more about 'open data' healthcare resources  around the globe? Check out the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Health Observatory.  This WHO information portal provides access to 'open' data, statistical analyses, and reports for monitoring the global health situation

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Health Observatory (GHO) 'open' data repository provides access to over 50 datasets on priority health topics including mortality and burden of diseases, the Millennium Development Goals (child nutrition, child health, maternal and reproductive health, immunization, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected diseases, water and sanitation), non-communicable diseases and risk factors, epidemic-prone diseases, health systems, environmental health, violence and injuries, equity among others. In addition, the GHO provides on-line access to WHO's annual summary of health-related data for its 194 member states, i.e. World Health Statistics 2012.

But the GHO 'open data' portal is just one of many high quality resource now on the web that are worth further investigation.  You might also want to check out some of these other selected 'open data' resources on population health and healthcare:

U.S. 'Open Data' Resources

• AHCA Long Term Care Data & Statistics
• CDC Data & Statistics
• Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse
• DataVisualization
• HCUP Databases
• Health Care Cost Institute
• Health.Data.Gov
• National Women's Health Indicator's Database
• NIH Health Services Research & Public Health Databases
• StateHealthFacts
• WONDER 

Other Global 'Open Data' Resources

• EuroStat
• Global Health Data Exchange
• Google Public Data Explorer
• Kaiser Foundation 'Global Health Facts'
• Knoema & Health Industry Facts
• NationMaster
• World Bank Health Data

To also learn more about free and open source software, open data hubs, tool kits, organizations, videos, etc. you might want to also visit the COSI 'Open' Health web site.

Send us links to other useful 'open data' healthcare sites you would recommend to our readers.

The Dynamics of Opening Government Data

A quick Google search on "Business Models for Open Source" brings up numerous articles and studies on the topic that proclaim there are anywhere from five major business models to over eighty examples.

While we would like to come up with as short a list as possible, the truth seems to lie somewhere in between. We have ended up with a list of approximately 20 business models for open source , depending on the mission, goals, licensing, context, and numerous other factors or variables, e.g. geography, competition, market.

Matthew Aslett, from the consulting firm “The 451 Group.” Aslett authored a report  entitled “Open Source is not a Business Model.” One of the key conclusions of the report is that 'open source' is a business strategy or tactic, not a business model.

Quite often the number of business models related to the development and deployment of open source software solutions depends on the profit motive driving particular individuals and organizations. For example, consider the following. There are:

• non-profit organizations or communities that are not interested in making huge profits from their  free and open source software (FOSS) solutions, but are more interested in simply creating and distributing high quality, free software and solutions that will be of benefit to as many people as possible.
• then there are those individual or organizations that want to profit from the development, distribution, and retail sales associated with various open source products and commercial add-on modules they have created and released using somewhat restrictive licenses; and
• there are also numerous individuals or organizations that want to make a living and generate profits by offering a wide range of services in support of the open source solutions, e.g. installation, training, maintenance.

Over the past decade, numerous entrpreneurial individuals and organizations have tackled the idea of how to make money out of open source software. The idea that the only way of generating revenue from open source software is by providing support services - has become outdated.

There are now a wide variety of business strategies, tactics, or business models being employed by to generate revenue from open source software. For example:

• Many non-profit organizations obtain funding to support the development and distribution of their free and open source software (FOSS) solution from membership dues, subscription fees, donations, and/or grants.
• Many for profit organizations are paid for producing enhanced professional or enterprise versions of an open source product governed by very restrictive licenses. They may also offer add-on modules or bundle the open source software within other hardware and software products they offer.
• Other for profit organizations charge for a wide range of services, e.g. consulting, installation, documentation, training, system enhancements, software maintenance & patches.  

Many other innovative companies are emerging and learning how to profit from the open source marketplace, e.g. news organizations, marketing firms, hosting, software-as-a-service (SAAS), open hardware, etc.

For more articles and information about Business Models & Open Source in the Healthcare sector see Open Health News.

Readers Choice: Most visited 'Open Data' sources of health information

The global 'Open Data' movement continues to grow and strengthen. Each month, the number of new 'open data' web sites and resources increases. Based on the number of hits by Open Health News (OHN) readers on links to 'open data' sources of health information, the following are their top choices:  

• CDC Data & Statistics – The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have opened access to a wide range of data for public health purposes. 
• HCUP Databases - Databases on healthcare cost & utilization in the U.S. available from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ). 
• Health.Data.Gov – The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has provided open access to a wide range of health information & data sets that are generated and/or held by the U.S. Government. 
• WHO Global Health Observatory - Provides data and analyses on global health issues and priorities.

'Open Data' can be defined as selected data that should be made freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other excessive control mechanisms.

Other notable 'Open Data' sources of health information

• CDC WONDER
• Eurostat
• NationMaster  
• World Bank Health Data

* Also, check out the COSI 'Open' Health web site.

Which is your favorite source of 'open data' health information? Do you have another 'open data' resource you would recommend to readers?

A core principle of the Open Government Plan developed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is that the government can help trigger enormous public good by implementing the idea of “government as platform,” supplying ever greater amounts of high quality health data collected by the government to the public and actively marketing the availability of this data. The expectation is that individuals and organizations in the private sector may then find innovative ways to turn this data into useful applications, products, and services.   -   See HHS Community Health Data Initiative.

Let's start examining & using available 'Open Data' sources

'Big Data' or 'Open Data' is garnering a lot of attention lately. This is a short followup to a previous blog entitled "Open Data & Healthcare" published last month.

The Office of Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has provided access to the Women's Health Assessment Toolkit (WHAT) and associated 'open' database on their web site at http://www.healthstatus2020.com/owh/what/OWH_FIPS__search.asp

WHAT has been developed to foster the formation, growth and success of women's health networks across the country. The WHAT is organized in four main sections to provide help local community planners:

• Identify existing assets and prioritize needs;
• Learn about the women of their area;
• Adopt measurable objectives;
• Incorporate findings into a usable planning document;

Out of curiosity, I took a quick look at what is happening in my county and state in West Virginia. Good grief! Here's some quick numbers on my state:

• Over 20% of women in WV have no health insurance, slightly more than U.S. national average. This is not good.
• Median annual earnings for women in West Virginia is $14k, with men earning approximately  $24k. (A far cry from the multi-million dollar bonuses being handed out annually on Wall Street. It's unreal.)
• Approximately 15% of women and men in West Virginia have completed a 4 year college degree. That seems really low.

Those are just some of the numbers you can look up about your state or county using the Women's Health Assessment Toolkit (WHAT) and associated 'open' database.

I think having access to 'Open Data' is going to be really useful to citizens and decision makers as we go forward in planning for America's future. Let's base our decisions on the data, not partisan bickering. We can do better!

Have you looked at the statistics related to your state? Check it out.

* Take a look at the 'Open Data' section on the COSI 'Open' Health Solutions web site.

The Growing 'Open Data' Movement in Healthcare

Open Data can be defined as 'selected data' that should be made freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other excessive control mechanisms.

The concept of open data is not new. Advocates argue that access to scientific data, especially data gathered or created by a government institution and funded by public money, should be 'open' or free of any restrictions. These advocates also argue that restrictions on access to certain types of data are against the communal good and that these data should be made available without restriction or fee.

Even as the Open Data and Open Access movements gain momentum, there are still many organizations fighting to reverse the process, e.g. for-profit publishing houses and certain not-for-profit education and research organizations that depend on fees charged to access the data to fund their operations.  

Open Data Resources – Healthcare Examples

The following are links to selected 'Open Data' resources on population health and healthcare around the world:

• CDC Data & Statistics – The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have opened access to a wide range of data for public health purposes.
• Google Public Data Explorer - Making large public data sets on healthcare, economics, and other subjects readily accessible and easy to explore & visualize.
• HCUP Databases - Databases on healthcare cost & utilization in the U.S. available from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ).
• Health.Data.Gov – The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has provided open access to a wide range of health information & data sets that are generated and/or held by the U.S. Government.
• NationMaster - Compilation of health information & statistics from such sources as the UN, WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, etc.
• WHO Global Health Observatory – The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Observatory provides data and analyses on global health priorities.
• World Bank Health Data - Data collected by the World Bank on national health systems, disease prevention, reproductive health, nutrition, population, and more.

* There are many other 'open' health data sets & web sites for you to explore, e.g., CCW Data Sets, Global Health Data Exchange, Global HealthMap, NIH Health Services Research & Public Health Databases,  Kaiser Foundation 'Global Health Facts', Health Indicators Warehouse, WONDER Online Public Health Databases

Conclusion

Bottom line - What we are seeing is the emergence of a whole new industry 'Open Data' built around the innovative re-use of public sector data. This involves finding ways to add value by combining information from different sources, creating new tools or software applications, analyzing the data and generating useful new reports or products for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Access to 'Open Data' generated by the public sector has great economic potential to provide citizens and organizations with information they need or want, while creating many new jobs and companies along the way.

Other Key 'Open Data' Sites Open Data Commons Open Knowledge Foundation The Data Hub The Open Data Handbook LinkedScience.Org

Have you accessed any of these 'Open Data' health resources? Do you know of other free and 'open' health data sets we should all know about?